Mercury arc rectifier



June 16,1931: I F. P. WHITAKER 1,310,634

MERCURY ARC RECTIFIER Filed June 1'7. 1929 Inve nto r"- Fl" ank F.WhLtaken I Hts Attohneg.

Fatented in... 16, 1931 UNITED STATES FRANK P. WHITAKER,

PATENT OFFICE I or RUGBY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 'ro GENE AL ELECTRIC com- PANY, A CORPORATION OF NEw YORK MERCURY Anc RECTIFIER:

Application filed June 17, 1929, Serial No. 371,574, and in Great Britain June 20, 1928.

My invention relates to mercury arc rectifiers and the like and more particularly to apparatus for the prevention of arc-backs-in such rectifiers.

The invention consists in surrounding each anode with an insulatedanode shield, this shield being arranged to enclose the anode completely and to follow approximately the shape of the anode and be closely adjacent to it. In order to give access to the anode for the are I may provide holes in the anode shield into which short lengths of tube may be fitted. In some cases it may also be advantageous for the'other ends of the tubes to be fitted into an open ended cylinder or the like.

I trated in the drawings in which Fig. 1 illustrates a vertical cross section of a shield constructed according to my invention and Fig. 2 illustrates a horizontal cross sectiontaken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. 1

In Fig. 1,'1O is the anode which is introduced through the wall of the vacuum chamber of the rectifier by means of an insulator A typical form of my invention is illuswall arranged below said anode, the diameter perforations being substantially one arranged below said anode, and a plurality of tubes inserted in the perforations of said wall, the distance between said wall and said anode being substantially equal to the diameter of said tubes.

4.111 a vapor discharge device, an anode, an insulated shield arranged to surround said anode andprovided with a perforated wall In witness whereof, I have hereunto set.

my hand this 27th day of May, 1929.

' FRANK P. WHITAKER.

The best proportions for the arrangement i are found by experiment in individual cases,

' but generally the distance from the anode surfaceto the anode shield isof the order of magnitude of an inch. The tubes 15 will also be about an inch in diameter.

In certain cases it may be advantageous to 1 taper the tubes 15 or the cylinder 16. In

other cases the cylinder 16 may be completely T omitted. I I I I What I claim as new and desire'to secure by Lett rs Patent of the United States, is,-

1. In a vapor discharge device, an anode, aninsulated shield arranged to surround said anode and provided with a perforated 

